Tool

Background

One of the leading alternative metal acts to emerge the 90s, Tool was formed in Los Angeles, California, USA, in 1990 by Adam Jones (guitar), Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Paul D'Amour (bass) and Danny Carey (drums). The mini-album, Opiate, was a powerful introduction to Tool's densely rhythmic style, with "Hush' helping establish a buzz for the band; the accompanying video graphically displayed the song"s anti-censorship slant of "I can't say what I want to/Even if I'm not serious" as the band appeared naked with their mouths taped shut.

European dates with friends Rage Against The Machine and a US tour with the Rollins Band helped to sharpen Tool's live performances. Their increased confidence was evident on Undertow, which featured a guest vocal from Henry Rollins on "Bottom". While the band retained their angry intensity and penchant for difficult lyrical subjects, their songwriting became more adventurous.

Undertow reached platinum status as the band toured extensively, including a stint on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. Aenima, featuring new bass player Justin Chancellor (ex-Peach), was their most assured and most successful album, narrowly missing the top of the Billboard album chart in November 1996. In December 2000 the band released the limited edition Salival, which featured a DVD/VHS collection of videos, a CD comprising unreleased live and studio material, and a promotional book.

ISIS frontman Aaron Turner isn't stupid. He knows his band is certain to get booed by TOOL fans when ISIS head out on the road with Maynard James Keenan's collection of avant-metal cohorts. But that's not going to stop Turner from trying to open up a few minds.

"You're bound to have a larger meathead contingency in your audience when you open for a band as big as TOOL, and we're very aware of the fact that a good portion of the people at these shows will be bored to tears or perhaps even angry while we're playing," said Turner, who also owns Los Angeles-based Hydra Head Records. "There's also a good chance a lot of 'em won't even be there and will be finding their seats as we're finishing up our set. In one way, we're really excited about it, but in another way, we're realistic about it too.

"TOOL are definitely the biggest band we've ever toured with, but I don't feel like it's ultimately going to change things for us that much," he continued. "The hope is that we'll gain some new fans. But there's no delusions that by doing this tour we're going to come out on the other side being a much more popular band. Most smaller bands that open for a bigger band are likely to gain some new fans, but they're just as likely to be heckled off the stage."

ISIS — who got together more than eight years ago — are a monstrous, thick and spiritual assemblage of musical experimentalists whose sound contains elements of heavy metal, punk and hardcore. Their complex compositions make them a perfect fit for the TOOL trek, which winds down September 29 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

"We've done tours with a wide array of bands with the intent of trying to capture a really eclectic audience," Turner said. "I think that any band that has a style even slightly outside the box or a little bit difficult in some way or another, those types of bands — which I see ISIS as being — are more likely to garner a really hard-core following, because it takes a person who's willing to dig beneath the surface to find out about these bands and get intimate with their music. That kind of listener's more prone to a more devoted, almost slavish obsession with a band."

While on the road with TOOL, ISIS will be promoting a pair of new releases: the band's debut DVD, "Clearing the Eye," which will be in stores September 26, and In the Absence of Truth, the follow-up to 2004's Panopticon, slated for release this Halloween. ("We picked a good date to release a heavy metal record, I guess," Turner laughed.) The DVD contains live footage the band started culling back in 2000. "It's the stuff we felt was most representative of us as a band and our evolution over the last few years," the singer said.

Releasing a provocative, cerebral metal album at this time is a smart move for ISIS. With records from MASTODON, SUNN 0))), BOTCH and THE MARS VOLTA (not a metal band, but certainly an outfit metalheads revere) on the not-so-distant horizon, Turner said he considers ISIS part of a movement, perhaps even a revival of progressive rock and metal.

"Metal has been alive and well in the underground forever, and occasionally it pops its head up into the mainstream," he said. "Right now is just one of those times when it's got some more mainstream visibility. We're not ashamed to take advantage of that. But that's not to say that we're compromising ourselves or doing things differently than we have in the past. This is what we like to do. If we can absorb some of the trickle-down from these other bigger bands that are getting noticed at the moment and turn new listeners on to what we're doing, we're certainly going to capitalize on that.

"We want to be the kind of band that demands a certain amount of attention to really grasp the full effect of what we're going for," he added. "The way we approach our writing and the way we record, we purposely bury a lot of elements deep in the mix, so it's like little subtleties and nuances that are unearthed after repeat listens."

After ISIS finish TOOL's North American trek, they'll probably head over to Europe with the band, again in a support role for a monthlong tour. Turner said ISIS also plan to travel to Japan and Australia for some live dates and are working on organizing a U.S. headlining run for either late fall or early 2007.

And believe it or not, ISIS may even have a new album already recorded, one that came together almost accidentally. The band has been rehearsing with Montreal producer/electronic musician Tim Hecker, who remixed several of ISIS' tracks for 2005's Oceanic: Remixes/Reinterpretations.

"We've been recording everything that we've been playing together," Turner said. "It was all largely improvised but based on some really basic premises and parameters. That might actually end up turning into another record for us."

A low-quality video clip of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett performing with TOOL during their headlining appearance at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday (August 18) has been posted online at YouTube.com.

According to one TOOL fan's eyewitness account posted at the ToolNavy.com web site, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan introduced Hammett by saying, "We have a special guest tonight. He's not [unintelligible], and he's not Elvis. Well, maybe he's their bastard son, Mr. Kirk Hammett." "[Kirk] then proceeded to come out and play guitar on 'Sober'. I've never been partial to METALLICA, and for those of you who are, I'm sorry to report that Kirk damn near butchered the song. His drunken so-called 'solo' was particularly sloppy and completely extraneous. Only the band coming back through to thrash the rest of the song out extremely hard saved it. Then he totally tripped out and flustered Adam [Jones, TOOL guitarist] by grabbing him for his 'hug' and kissing him on the mouth! Only to return at the end of the show to the stage to perform the 'we're not worthy!' bow on his knees before the guys. At least he realizes." More...

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett reportedly joined TOOL onstage during their headlining appearance at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday (August 18). According to one TOOL fan's eyewitness account posted at the ToolNavy.com web site, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan introduced Hammett by saying, "We have a special guest tonight. He's not [unintelligible], and he's not Elvis. Well, maybe he's their bastard son, Mr. Kirk Hammett." "[Kirk] then proceeded to come out and play guitar on 'Sober'. I've never been partial to METALLICA, and for those of you who are, I'm sorry to report that Kirk damn near butchered the song. His drunken so-called 'solo' was particularly sloppy and completely extraneous. Only the band coming back through to thrash the rest of the song out extremely hard saved it. Then he totally tripped out and flustered Adam [Jones, TOOL guitarist] by grabbing him for his 'hug' and kissing him on the mouth! Only to return at the end of the show to the stage to perform the 'we're not worthy!' bow on his knees before the guys. At least he realizes."

Tool have announced that they will be heading Down Under in January next year to play two shows, one in Sydney, and one in Melbourne. The annual Tool rumour is once again rampant, suggesting that the band will possibly be showing their gratitude to their Australian fans by joining the next Big Day Out tour. Whilst this rumour leaks it's way into Aussie hearts almost every year, with a very minimal two-show tour in support of their latest album, "10,000 Days", high hopes are perhaps a little easier to get away with this time around.

The tickets for the Sydney and Melbourne shows start selling August 25th through Ticketmaster. Details follow:

Sydney: January 24th at the Sydney Entertainment CentreMelbourne: January 31st at the l Myer Music Bowl

The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that at least 15 people were injured when thousands of fans surged forward during TOOL's Street Scene 2006 performance in the parking lot of San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. The report is as follows:

More than a dozen concertgoers were sent to area hospitals last night after a crowd disturbance at Street Scene 2006, a large music festival held in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium.

The melee happened during the headlining performance by Los Angeles rock band Tool.

There were few details on the incident, but witnesses reported seeing a stream of fans being carried out on stretchers.

“We've had quite a few injuries,” said San Diego fire Battalion Chief Chris Brainard, shortly before midnight. “We have probably 15 patients transferred to area hospitals and we're still making determinations on (the condition of) others.”

Brainard attributed the injuries to the thousands of fans packed near the front of Street Scene's Zaranda Stage, where Tool began its performance at 10:36 last night.

The crush of fans grew so great that midway through the band's second song, lead singer Maynard James Keenan stopped singing and said: “Step back so you don't get trampled. It's just rock.”

Keenan repeatedly implored the crowd to step back, even before a uniformed city official conferred with him on stage.

“If you all take a few steps back we can keep playing,” Keenan told the audience at 10:52. The crowd moved back. A few minutes later, Keenan said: “Look out for your brothers and sisters. No one has to die in rock 'n' roll.”

He and his band then played on, concluding their performance at midnight.

Last night was not the first time that excited Street Scene fans have been hurt. In 2004, a Friday night show featuring the band AFI drew such a large crowd that a metal barrier near the front of the stage collapsed.

Tool have added the following North American and European dates to their tour schedule, taking them almost to the end of 2006. Isis is to support Tool for most (if not all) of their US run, but it's unclear who will support them for the newly announced dates. The tour dates are as follows:

In other news, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones recently stopped by the BBC Radio 1 studios for an interview, which aired last night (June 20) on the "Rock Show". Listen to a replay of the program at BBC.co.uk.

Tool's "10,000 Days" topped the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than double than the latest from Pearl Jam album. The Tool Dissectional/Volcano set gave the band a career-best sales week, moving 564,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to put it at No. 1. "10,000 Days" also takes over the lead from Godsmack's "IV" (Universal) on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Tool's last album, "Lateralus," also opened at No. 1 on the big chart in 2001 with sales of 555,000 units. It has sold more than 2.3 million to date.

Tool is planning to promote "Vicarious," the seven-minute first single from its new album, "10,000 Days," with a DVD single in the coming weeks. The group previously issued singles in this format for its tracks "Schism" and "Parabola."

After completing a round of American dates later this month and ensuing tours of Europe and Japan, the band will return to the States in the fall.

World Entertainment News Network is reporting that TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan is planning his touring schedule around his new vineyard's harvesting and bottling because he insists on being part of the process. The eccentric rocker launched Merkin Vineyards in Sedona, Arizona last year and his first attempt at winemaking, the limited edition Primer Paso, has been a sellout.

And now the wine connoisseur is hooked on his new hobby and insists on scheduling all records, promoting and touring around the winery's most important weeks.

He says, "The guys know that I've gotta be in Arizona for the harvesting and processing, and then I'll need to be back there again for the bottling. We'll be working our touring schedule around it."

Keenan plans to release a 2004 Nagual de la Naga and a 2004 Nagual del Sensei, as well as a new Primer Paso under his Caduceus Cellars trade name later this year.

Jonathan Cohen of Billboard.com reports: Tool has revealed the track list for its next studio album, "10,000 Days." As previously reported, the set is due May 2 via Volcano. The first single/album opener "Vicarious," which stretches past the seven-minute mark, is due to arrive April 17 at U.S. rock radio outlets.

True to form, the 11-track "10,000 Days" sports a number of epic tunes, particularly "Rosetta Stoned" and "10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2)," both of which clock in at 11:14. Near the end of the disc are the substantially lengthy "Intension" (7:21) and "Right in Two" (8:56).

"10,000 Days" is the follow-up to 2001's "Lateralus," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, Tool will play its first U.S. show since late 2002 when it headlines the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 30 in Indio, Calif. No other U.S. dates have been confirmed. Afterward, the band will spend the first portion of the summer playing the European festival circuit, with dates on tap through July 9 at Finland's Turku Festival.

TOOL have announced the final track listing of their new album, "10,000 Days", due on May 2 via Volcano. The 77-minute, 11-song prog-metal odyssey, which is said to be "packed with plenty of eight minute-plus twisted riff-a-thons, odd-tempo polyrhythms and the band's trademark, eerie interludes" (according to Kerrang! magazine), is the follow-up to 2001's "Lateralus", which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, TOOL will play their first U.S. show since late 2002 when it headlines the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 30 in Indio, Calif. No other U.S. dates have been confirmed.

Afterward, TOOL will spend the first portion of the summer playing the European festival circuit, with dates on tap through July 9 at Finland's Turku Festival.

According to Billboard.com, Volcano has set a May 2 North American release date for the new TOOL album, entitled "10,000 Days". The 77-minute, 11-song prog-metal odyssey, which is said to be "packed with plenty of eight minute-plus twisted riff-a-thons, odd-tempo polyrhythms and the band's trademark, eerie interludes" (according to Kerrang! magazine), is the follow-up to 2001's "Lateralus", which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, TOOL will play their first U.S. show since late 2002 when it headlines the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 30 in Indio, Calif. No other U.S. dates have been confirmed.

Afterward, TOOL will spend the first portion of the summer playing the European festival circuit, with dates on tap through July 9 at Finland's Turku Festival.

According to a posting that was made on the bands official website www.toolband.com (and then subsequently removed), Tool's new album will be titled "10,000 Days". A May/June release date is currently expected for the effort.

With all the rumors going around about the bands on Ozzfest, Antimusic.com thought it would be fun to look at some of the latest rumors:

Guns N' Roses - We now know that Axl and company are making the rounds at European festivals this Spring but will they headline Ozzfest? It could happen but then again they could easily sellout the same venues on their own and keep all the cash instead of sharing with Sharon.

AC/DC - Given that Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, two bands that do well on their own, have done the tour in the past it's not too crazy to think of AC/DC heading the fest but again they might be better off on their own.

Korn - Since they aren't drawing like they used to on their own this might make be a good fit.

Alice in Chains - Judas Priest used Ozzfest for their comeback but a Layne-less AIC might not attract enough $$ for Sharon.

System of a Down - Given how much they love greedy capitalist like Sharon, who knows?

Body Count - Ice T supposedly told a radio DJ that they are doing it. Would be kind of cool to have a credible rap rock band on the tour for a change.

Tool - would be cool but they are supposed to have some conflicting summer gigs already in the can.

Metallica - management killed this rumor. Maybe they will team up with Guns N Roses again and do stadiums? Hey we can start rumors too, just look at the next section!

Since rumors are so fun, we're gonna start our own. Sharon wants to expand Ozzfest's reach and wants to sell as many tickets as possible so what about these bookings? Backstreet Boys, 50 Cent and Britney Spears. Think it's a stretch? Sharon did put Crazy Town on the main stage one year and let's not forget about Linkin Park and Adema.